"As soon as case dismissed, I will return to work and expect apologies," - Nasirov

Suspended State Fiscal Service Chief Roman Nasirov does not recognize his guilt and expects the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) offer him their apologies.

"I continue holding a government office. As soon as the case is dismissed, I will expect apologies and continue doing my job," the official said, Censor.NET reports citing Liga.

Nasirov explained that he expected apologies for his detention in the hospital which he believed was unjustified.

"I expect that specific people and both agencies will offer apologies very soon," he said.

Nasirov stressed he did not accept accountability and had no intention to flee abroad.

"I think this is a prejudice - partly political, partly populist," the official said.

He suggested that the case was trumped up not to discredit him alone, but the entire State Fiscal Service that allegedly "showed good results."

In addition, he said that his lawyers were conducting their own investigation into this case.

March 2, NABU and SAP agents arrived at Feofania hospital to serve an indictment for criminal offence against Ukraine's chief taxman Roman Nasirov. The doctors barred the investigators and prosecutor from entering the ward saying Nasirov had allegedly suffered a heart attack. SAP head Nazar Kholodnytskyi said the decision to launch procedural activities into the case was made due to possible Nasirov's departure abroad and elimination of evidence. A video footage of Nasirov being served an indictment in Feofania hospital has been posted online.

SAP accuses Nasirov of taking unreasonable decisions on restructuring rental fees for the extraction of minerals, which helped Ukraine's fugitive MP Oleksandr Onyshchenko implement corruption schemes he is being charged with. This had led to 2 billion hryvnia damage to the state ($74 million). Onyshchenko said the investigation would "prove nothing: there were no money in my relations with Nasirov."

Later, NABU said it was preparing a bail hearing inquiry regarding Nasirov. The detainee's lawyers say that Nasirov's health deteriorated and he underwent another surgery. SAP head Kholodnytskyi said he doubted Nasirov's diagnosis.

March 3, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine suspended Nasirov from office pending investigation. Myroslav Prodan was appointed acting head of the State Fiscal Service.

Tax and customs service chief Roman Nasirov was first taken to the courtroom on March 4.

However, after he was examined by a doctor, the judge ruled to postpone the meeting to choose a preventive measure against Nasirov until the next day. On March 5, after the judge refused to adjourn the session again, the defense demanded his recusal, and the hearing halted.

After the session started, the court denied the disqualification of the judge and rejected a forensic examination of Nasirov's state. During the meeting it became known that Nasirov has the citizenship of Great Britain and Hungary.

As a result, after 3 a.m. on March 7, Judge of the Solomianskyi district court of Kyiv Oleksandr Bobrovnyk, partially granted the motion of the prosecution, having remanded Nasirov in a 60-day custody, until April 30, 2017, with the possibility to be released on a 100 million hryvnia bail. It should be noted that the prosecution wanted the bail to be set at 2 billion hryvnia. Ex-deputy prosecutor general David Sakvarelidze said at the rally outside the courthouse that the Presidential Administration required the court to reduce Nasirov's bail to 10 million hryvnia. In turn, Poroshenko said he was not advised on the progress in the proceeding against Nasirov.

March 13, the court dismissed the appeal against court decision to impose pre-trial detention against Nasirov with the right to post 100 million hryvnia in bail. The prosecutor's petition to increase the bail amount up to 2 billion hryvnia was also dismissed.

March 16, Nasirov was released from custody after his spouse and father-in-law posted a 100 million hryvnia ($3.7 million) bail.

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